Queen City Ukes and Sawchyn Guitars is pleased to present two workshops to be held on Sunday, November 16. Both workshops will be led by Joel Jacques, a Regina native who teaches ukulele in Ottawa.

To sign up, contact Sawchyn Guitars at 306-522-6348 or stop in at 2132 Dewdney Avenue. Tickets will be available soon.

Ukulele for the Absolute Beginner
(1.5 hours)

$25

11AM to 12:30PM

Come find your musical voice through learning to sing and play the ukulele. This introduction course is for those picking up the instrument for the first time.

Participants will learn to play and sing popular songs together in a group setting. We’ll answer all those questions that come up when you first play the uke: How do I hold this thing? Tuning? How do I strum? What is a chord anyway? And many more.

The basics of ukulele history, its relationship to other instruments and playing techniques will be discussed. More importantly, by the end of this session you will be singing and playing at least two songs and you’ll know enough to begin your music making journey on this wonderful little instrument.

All are welcome. Must have a ukulele to play during the workshop. (Sawchyn Guitars can help you out with this, but be sure to let them know when you register.)

The Ukulele Right Hand: How to make each new song unique
(3 hours with a break)

$40

1 to 4PM

For those with some experience either on the ukulele or its related cousins the guitar or banjo.

So you’re playing the ukulele now and love it. You’ve strummed and sung and even managed to impress your partner/friend/neighbour/uke group/cat. Now, you’ve started wondering how you’re going to make this tune sound different than that other one. Here’s the not-so-well-kept-secret: It’s going to happen in your right hand.

This intensive afternoon workshop will introduce you to a variety of options that are available to you for making each song you play a gem in its own right. You will introduced to the basics of many right-hand techniques and place them in musical context.

Resource materials will be provided. Bring your instrument, you will definitely be playing.

Part 1: Strumming Strategies—How to pick a strum for a song (1.25 hours)

Accents and Dynamics

Straight Strum / Swing Strum

Chunks and Mutes

Styles like: folk, country, rock, reggae, bosa nova, swing

Triplet Stroke and how to use it

(break)

Part 2: Fingerpicking Styles—Learning from the banjo players (1.25 hours)

3-finger and 4-finger strategies and patterns

Banjo Rolls

Clawhammer… on uke, really?

Want to take both workshops?

$55

11AM to 4PM

Sign up for both and save $10!

About Joel

Joel Jacques is a native of Regina currently residing in Ottawa. He is excited at the opportunity to come home to Saskatchewan to share his passion for all things ukulele. Joel studied music at the College Mathieu in Gravelbourg and at the University of Ottawa. He has played the guitar, ukulele and keyboards in French trad bands, flamenco dance troupes and indie rock bands. He studied luthery with David Freeman in Tugaske, Sask and continues to build ukuleles in Ottawa (www.bytownukuleles.com).

He is an active ukulele teacher at the Ottawa Folklore Centre and also helps to lead the very popular and ever growing Bytown Ukulele Group (BUG).